Hypermedia Engines: A Reasonable Alternative to Web APIs

The Problem

With the explosion of data available on the Web, there has also been a marked increase in the number of "Web APIs" developers must deal with in order to access the data. These Web APIs almost always require consumers to write custom code in order to access the data. Some even invent their own authentication and authorization schemes that require additional development effort before the data is available for end users. The result is that every new set of data requires a new set of code; in effect, a custom client for each data set.

This is not how the Web was envisioned.

The Solution

Instead of publishing limited implementations that only support reading and writing raw data in simple formats such as XML and JSON, this workshop shows how you can craft rich payloads that include not just data, but also the application controls appropriate for the content; including the ability to search, sort, filter, and update data on the server. This hypermedia approach allows publishers to focus on returning the proper data and application controls to the client in each response and allows client applications to focus on understanding the hypermedia controls provided in the response instead of being required to map custom code to each service provider and data source.

The Workshop

In this one-day workshop, attendees will learn how to implement an alternative to one-off Web APIs using Hypermedia Engines. Topics covered include:

Hypermedia Past and Present

Nine Essential Hypermedia Factors

Selecting the Proper Data Format

Adding Hypermedia Application Controls to your Responses

Binding Protocol Methods to your Hypermedia Controls

Serving Up your Hypermedia

Writing Clients that Understand your Hypermedia

Documenting your Hypermedia

and more...

The all-day session includes a mix of presentation, discussion, and hands-on implementation. Attendees are encouraged to bring laptops and "code-along" with supplied examples throughout the day. Whether you want to focus on general Hypermedia design, server implementation details, or coding hypermedia clients, this workshop will provide lots of examples and food for thought.

If you are responsible for designing and/or implementing "Web APIs" this workshop is for you.

Reviews

Here's what recent participants in Mike Amundsen's talks had to say:

"[H]is was clearly the best session of the entire conference."

"Presentation was no-nonsense. Almost every example had immediate applicability."

"[A]n intellectual heaveyweight. Not only does he know his stuff, but he really knows how to present it and he conveys his enthusian well."

"Truly educational. Mike Amundsen was a wonderful teacher."

Seats are limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Schedule

7:00AM to 8:00AM - Sign-in

8:00AM to Noon - Morning Session

Noon to 1:00PM - Break

1:00PM to 5:00PM - Afternoon Session

NOTE: Drinks and snacks will be provided throughout the day. Attendees should arrange for their own meals and lodging through local businesses as required.

Mike Amundsen

An internationally known author and lecturer, Mike Amundsen travels throughout the United States and Europe speaking and teaching on a wide range of topics including .NET programming, Cloud computing, Web application development, and other subjects. He has more than a dozen books to his credit and recently contributed to the O'Reilly book "RESTful Web Services Cookbook" by Subbu Alamaraju. Mike is currently working with, and doing research on the topic of, Hypermedia programming using the REST architectural model. When he is not working, Mike enjoys spending time with his family in Kentucky, USA.